


An Experiment in [Head] Canon

by dozmuffinxc



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Asexuality, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Memory Loss, Multi, Polyamory, blupjeans, head canons, taagnitz, taagnus, taakitz
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-03-09 06:00:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 43
Words: 18,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18910999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dozmuffinxc/pseuds/dozmuffinxc
Summary: I started writing short ficlet-style head canons for TAZ Balance over at my Twitter (@extermiteach) a few months ago, and I've had so much fun with them. I'm worried I'll lose track of all of them, so I'm publishing them here, as well. They are in no particular order, and they do not necessarily go together!





	1. When a Reaper Plans a Date

It may seem cliche, but Kravitz is really into graveyards. He finds death culture fascinating: every culture has its own traditions, and while he knows that souls all go to the same place in the end, the belief systems of Faerun are so diverse.

The first time Taako lets him pick their date night, he doesn’t have to think twice. There’s a gorgeous above-ground ossuary a portal ride away, and he can’t wait to show his boyfriend the intricate murals painted in the blood of the deceased.

They emerge from the portal onto a hillside bathed in the light of a silvery full moon. Crickets maintain a ceaseless symphony from their hidden berths, and at first, Taako is smitten. How romantic! Then he looks around, sees the headstones, and freezes. 

“Uhhh, Krav?” he says, his voice a little higher than usual. “What the actual fuck, my man?" 

Kravitz gulps. 

"What do y— that is, have I… do you… not like it?" 

Taako squints. "Do you have some business to attend to before our date or something?” 

Kravitz doesn’t blush (he doesn’t, technically speaking, have blood in his veins), but he draws back and tucks his hands behind his back before speaking.

“You asked me to pick somewhere special, and this… well, it’s my favorite cemetery." 

"Your favorite…?” 

“Cemetery, yes. The ossuary here contains some of the last remaining examples of 3rd century art dedicated to the cult of Celestian, and I thought… I’m sorry, this is stupid. Let’s just leave." 

He turns his back to Taako and materializes his scythe. Kravitz has a portal half opened before he feels Taako’s hand on his arm and he turns back, hesitant.

"If you love it,” Taako says, his voice unusually quiet, “then it’s perfect. I’m sorry I was such an asshole. I don’t get it,” he admits, gesturing vaguely to the graveyard, “…but I’d like to.“ 

Kravitz feels a strange pressure where his heart would be if he had such a thing. It’s disconcerting, but he finds it difficult to mind when he looks at Taako with his gap-toothed smile, eyes sparkling in the moonlight with a mixture of affection and mischief, offering him a ring-laden hand to hold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celestian is an intermediate D&D god of stars, space and wanderers, so… you know… Kravitz is a sap.


	2. Not quite a first kiss...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time Taako and Magnus kiss post-Stolen Century, it’s their first night on the moon base.

The first time Taako and Magnus kiss post-Stolen Century, it’s their first night on the moon base. They are alternately celebrating bringing in a relic/joining the Bureau and mourning the loss of Phandalin, and Magnus drinks too much. He’s a lightweight, which is hilarious given his size, but he’s never held his liquor well, and Avi’s stash is STRONG. 

He watches blearily as Taako leaves the group to look out of one of the floor-to-ceiling windows, and Magnus decides to follow him. He’s leaning against the glass with all his weight, the dark void of space inches away, and there’s a moment before he notices Magnus is there when he lets his guard down. His goofy smile vanishes, his glamour slips, and he looks so very lonely and so, so tired.

Magnus trips over his own feet in his haste to wipe that look off his face.

“What'cha doin’,” he asks, attempting a similar lean with failed nonchalance. 

“Oh, you know,” Taako waves his hand, “staring into the void, seeing if it’ll stare back." 

Magnus blinks, confused. 

"Don’t worry about it, big guy,” Taako chuckles. 

He puts a hand on Magnus’ shoulder: a light squeeze, barely there, but it’s warm and comforting and strangely familiar. Magnus acts without thinking. 

It’s not a particularly good kiss: he almost misses Taako’s mouth entirely. When he pulls back, Taako is staring at him, eyebrows nearly touching his hairline. Not offended, not disgusted, just… surprised and wary. 

“Why did you do that,” he asks a moment later, and he sounds genuinely perplexed. 

Magnus has no idea, and he says as much. “Sorry,” he mutters, backing away.

“It’s fine,” Taako replies, and when he looks away, there’s something in the way he averts his eyes that tells Magnus that this elf has been hurt before, that somewhere, some time, someone made him question the meaning of a kiss, maybe even used it to manipulate him. The possibility makes Magnus’ blood boil.

He’s about to say that it wasn’t a mistake, that Taako’s wonderful and talented and handsome… but just as he opens his mouth, Merle calls them back over and Taako’s already gone. 

Magnus wakes up the next morning with a headache, unsure whether he dreamed the kiss or not. Taako sits next to him at breakfast and is his normal, querulous, snarky self. He doesn’t mention last night, so Magnus decides he must have imagined it. Kissing Taako? That’s insane. Nevertheless, there’s a part of him that knows that maybe it wouldn’t be so crazy because, real or not, it had felt so right, so natural. 

Almost like deja vu.


	3. Rings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup and Barry get engaged.

Lup and Barry don’t need the validation of marriage. They have loved each other longer than most mortals have been alive. No one questions their commitment. Nevertheless, Lup isn’t going to pass up on the chance to have an over-the-top wedding, and Barry can’t wait to scream “THAT’S MY WIFE” at every single passerby. They decide to propose at the same time because (and I quote) “fuck gender roles” on the one year anniversary of the Day of Story and Song. 

In the days leading up to the event, they are incredibly secretive about the rings they’ve prepared for the occasion. Barry spends hours in his lab with the door locked, and Lup conscripts Taako’s help, confidentiality on pain of death implied.

The big moment arrives. All of their friends and chosen family gather at Taako and Kravitz’s house under a beautiful pavilion that Magnus built himself. They don’t kneel (in these clothes?) but they do exchange prepared statements and kiss long enough to make Angus blush. 

Lup offers up her ring first. It’s a beautiful pale silver band etched with music notes, and she explains: 

“Taako helped me transmute it from some scrap metal off the Starblaster because, y'know, we would never have met if it wasn’t for the IPRE, and the notes…” 

Barry interrupts, fat tears leaking out from behind his breath-fogged glasses.

“Our song,” he sniffles. “The one we played together at Legato. I would recognize it anywhere." 

Lup beams. 

"Nerd,” she laughs and affectionately dries his cheeks with the sleeve of her dress. 

Barry takes out his own ring and immediately starts to stammer.

“I-it’s not as p-pretty as yours, but it’s, y'know, made from bone. M-my bone." 

A few of the onlookers wince.

"Not– you know, MY bone,” he explains, “but from one of m-my extra bodies. From the years I spent s-searching for you.” 

From the edge of the pavilion, Kravitz groans audibly. This is going to be so hard to explain to the Raven Queen. Taako, smirking, pats him gently on the back. 

“Oh my god, BABE,” Lup gasps, sliding the smooth, ivory band onto her hand, “I fucking LOVE it! It’s perfect.” 

The rest of the evening is perfection. There’s (incredible, twin-prepared) food and dancing (Carey and Killian wow everyone with their moves), and at the end of the night, everyone shares their favorite Lup/Barry memories. 

The couple in question holds hands until dawn, their respective rings gleaming in the candlelight outshone only by the light of their smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I read a fic once where Barry uses his extra bodies for necromancy experiments. I couldn’t help myself.


	4. Of Stories and Quilts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus tells Lucretia to give Taako time, and she does, but while she waits, she sews.

Taako is the last of the birds to forgive Lucretia after the Day of Story and Song. She took everything from him, and just because he has his sister, his family, and his memories back, just because they saved the world, he refuses to accept her apologies. 

No one (Lucretia included) blames him, not really. Lup is the only one who knows what it’s like to lose a twin, a part of yourself so inextricable to your being that to find it suddenly gone is to become a shadow of your true self. But at least Lup remembered her brother during that decade in the umbrastaff.

It kills Lucretia to be the object of so much hatred. Because Taako does – hate her, that is. He makes it painfully obvious in the way she’s excluded from his weekly dinner parties and the way that, when they are in the same room, he won’t meet her eye. 

The other birds come to accept that Lucretia did what she thought she had to do. The circumstances could not have been more exigent. They know, deep down, from 100 years of traveling together, that Lucretia loves them. Would die for them. They work hard to remember this. But Taako’s scars run deep, and healing doesn’t come easy after a decade without his other half, after Glamor Springs, after the Suffering Game. Magnus tells Lucretia to give him time, and she does, but while she waits, she sews. 

Lucretia has always needed to keep her hands busy. She has less occasion to write now, and she gets restless, so she picks up quilting for the first time since she was a little girl. She is the consummate artist, and it comes back to her quickly. At first, she makes simple quilts, thick, warm things that she hands out to the refugees of the Day of Story and Song. With time, she learns embroidery, how to incorporate beading and how to applique, and her quilts become miniature works of art. 

One day, she gets an idea. 

Seven months later, she shows up to Taako’s birthday party uninvited. The room goes quiet, and she takes a deep breath. 

“I’m not staying,” she says as she holds a large box out to Taako. “I– I just need to give you this. Please don’t— please don’t throw it away.” 

She stays just long enough to watch Taako peel the wrapping paper from the box with wary disdain. Kravitz helps him unfold the layers of fabric until a huge quilt is stretched out on Taako’s lap. Everyone crowds around his chair to get a better look. 

Whatever his feelings towards Lucretia, Taako can’t deny that the quilt is beautiful, but it isn’t until he looks closer that he actually gasps. This isn’t just a quilt: it’s a story, each panel depicting a different scene from their century aboard the Starblaster. Taako’s fingers trace the azure curve of waves, the bright red of a surfboard cresting their white peaks. There’s a family of mongooses stitched atop a backdrop of emerald green and a robot made of silver thread brandishing a gun against a black sky. 

“Oh my god,” Lup breathes from just behind his shoulder, “are those Barry’s jeans??" 

It takes Taako a moment to figure out what she means, but then she points to a patch of blue sky in the right corner of the quilt. Taako brushes a hand across it, and sure enough: denim. Fabric from Merle’s favorite shirt, the one he wore for 2 weeks straight until the rest of the crew vowed to mutiny if he didn’t wash it, has become a sun; part of the skirt Lup wore on performance night at the Legato Conservatory becomes the night sky studded with stars. 

Taako stares at the quilt for a full minute in silence, his expression inscrutable, as the others wait for his response. 

At the end of the street, Lucretia makes her way home with heavy steps. She imagines Taako ripping her gift to pieces, throwing it into the fire… 

And then, suddenly, Taako is right in front of her, Blinking into existence less than a foot away. She trips and nearly lands on her back, but Taako’s hand is on her elbow, steadying her. 

"Thank you,” she stammers. “Taako, I– I know you can’t forgive me, but maybe…” 

“Your time as Madam Director made you so bossy,” Taako interrupts, “always telling me what I can and can’t do." 

Lucretia stares, unsure how to respond to this assessment. 

"I can forgive you,” Taako says. “At least… I think I can. I know I can try, anyway.” 

“That’s all I want,” Lucretia insists, her eyes filling with tears. 

Taako nods and turns to go. When Lucretia doesn’t follow, he turns back with a huff. 

“Come on,” he insists. “We still have a birthday to celebrate, right?" 

Lucretia beams.


	5. Lovable Idiots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone at the Bureau of Balance assumes that Carey and Killian are dating.

Everyone at the Bureau of Balance assumes that Carey and Killian are dating. After all, they’re always together, and they make the perfect team. How can you fight in unison so seamlessly and NOT be an item? Everyone takes it for granted – everyone, that is, except the girls themselves. 

They’ve been work partners for so long, best friends for almost the same amount of time. Being together has always felt so natural, and they’ve never been particularly shy when it comes to showing affection. Neither of them quite knows when their relationship shifted, just that it did, and both women are madly in love before they have the words to express what they’re feeling. 

It comes to a head during a sparring match, naturally. Carey has Killian in a head-lock, scaley thighs tight around her neck, knife at the small of her back. 

“People are going to talk,” Killian growls between clenched teeth. 

“They always do,” Carey chuckles. 

Her laugh turns into a yelp as Killian grabs her tail and pries her loose. Carey kicks Killian’s legs out from under her as she falls, and they both go tumbling to the ground. 

Carey is the first one to her feet. She has a dagger to Killian’s heart before the other woman can catch her breath. 

“Haha,” one of the other reclaimers yells from the sidelines. “Your girlfriend kicked your ass!" 

"Is that what we are,” Killian gasps, staring up at Carey, “girlfriends?”

Carey considers for a moment before sheathing her dagger and swooping in to press a kiss to Killian’s lips right there in the fighting pit. Killian gapes, speechless, as Carey grins and executes a perfect flip off the mat. 

“Y-You didn’t answer my question!” Killian sputters as she watches Carey saunter off to the showers.


	6. Scatter-brained

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry is notorious for making cups of coffee and then forgetting about them.

Barry is notorious for making cups of coffee and then forgetting about them. His lukewarm mugs litter the Starblaster and, later, his and Lup’s house. The number of abandoned cups is directly linked to how absorbed he is with his latest experiment. Occasionally, he’ll look up from some exciting research and his eyes will light on a mug that he forgot he prepared. He grins, pleased to have a bit of caffeine to perk him up, but when he goes to take a sip, it’s stone-cold. His bottom lip quivers. It’s ruined! 

The first time Lup walks into the lab to find him staring into the murky depths of a frigid cup with literal tears in his eyes after 48 hours pursuing the Light of Creation, she sighs. 

“Give it to me,” she commands, hand outstretched. 

He blinks, but does as she asks. 

She cups the mug in both hands; her palms begin to glow, and he can see the veins weaving between the bones of her fingers. She sets the cup back down, steaming, in front of him, and he can’t help it: he looks up at her as if she’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. 

Taako walks in, takes one look at Barry making literal heart-eyes at his sister, and groans.

“Aggghhhhh, get a ROOM,” he growls. 

Barry attempts to cover up his blush by taking a big gulp of coffee – which he promptly chokes on.

For the next week, any time Barry leaves a mug of coffee unattended, Taako enchants it to follow him around, bumping into the back of his head with increasing force until consumed. It’s meant to be an annoyance, but Barry loves it, and he begs Taako to teach him the spell.


	7. Losing Taako

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time Taako dies mid-cycle, Lup doesn’t blink an eye.

The first time Taako dies mid-cycle, Lup doesn’t blink an eye. Well, she blinks – a few time, actually, in rapid succession – but then she immediately goes back to what she was doing before whatever stupid accident ripped her brother away. 

The crew is perplexed, and honestly, more than a little horrified. They assume she’s in denial. They try to talk to her about what she’s feeling, offer her comfort and sympathy, but she shrugs them all off. She smiles almost constantly. It makes her friends’ blood run cold. 

Barry’s room is closest to the twins’. He usually sleeps with the magical equivalent of white noise headphones, but one night he’s too tired to put them on, and he collapses into bed. A few minutes later, he hears it. On the other side of the thin wall, Lup is sobbing. 

He knocks on her door. There’s a moment of silence, and then– 

“What." 

"Ummm… Lup? Are y-you… okay in there?" 

”’M fine. Good night, Barry.“ 

"Are you s-sure…?" 

"Leave me ALONE, Bluejeans,” she shouts. He hears a thud as something (probably a pillow) hits the door. 

He waits a few seconds. Takes a deep breath. Summons up courage he doesn’t think he has but that he finds anyway. 

“Do you really want me to do that, Lup,” he asks, hand hovering over the doorknob. Ten seconds of painful silence. He starts to back away. 

“No.” 

His heart pounds in his chest as he eases the door open and squints into the darkness. There’s a lump in her bed that seems impossibly small. He gets closer; he can see the outline of a body curled into a tight ball under the covers. She peers out at him with swollen eyes. 

“I’m fine,” she croaks. Her voice is hoarse. 

“I know,” he says, sitting carefully on the end of the bed.

“It’s just a few months. He’ll be back.”

“Yes,” he replies. 

She shudders and the bed quakes with her. 

“Could you just… maybe… stay? Just for a bit?” 

Barry sighs with relief. He would stay forever if she asked him. 

He wakes the next morning, glasses askew, back aching from falling asleep sitting up. Lup is gone, but when he stumbles into the kitchen a cup of coffee is waiting for him, made just the way he likes it.


	8. Blupjeans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before they became liches, Barry gave Lup a ring in the shape of a phoenix.

Before they became liches, Barry gave Lup a ring in the shape of a phoenix. It’s the color of smoldering embers and he slides it on her finger, he tells her that she reminds him of that magical creature: “Powerful, beautiful, and resilient.” 

It’s a reminder of all they have to live for, the bonds that will buoy them up in the face of the direst threats. It isn’t an engagement ring – at least, Barry doesn’t propose when he gives it to her – but it’s a sign of their commitment, nevertheless. 

She’s wearing it the day she goes to Wave Echo Cave. When she fights her way back to consciousness inside the Umbra Staff, it’s the anchor she clings to to remind herself that she’s not alone. It’s the tiny, shining anchor that tethers her to sanity when all seems lost. 

After she emerges, phantasmal and resplendent, on the Day of Story and Song, it becomes her talisman. She doesn’t need a wand to use her magic anymore: her strength comes from her boundless love, and that ring will always be a symbol of what love can accomplish.


	9. Brothers-in-Law

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kravitz and Barry meet up once a week for coffee and commiseration.

Kravitz and Barry meet up once a week for coffee and commiseration. Maybe “commiseration” isn’t the best word – they prefer to think of it as a support group for partners of equally dramatic elves. It’s their version of “stitch and bitch,” except that most of the time, it’s just the two of them gushing about Taako’s/Lup’s various lovable qualities and chuckling indulgently over their many antics. The waiters at the cafe they frequent think they’re precious and sometimes sneak them extra pastries on the sly. 

Taako and Lup find out about these secret meetings and immediately retaliate by showing up to the same cafe and sitting at the next table over where they proceed to complain, LOUDLY, about their reaper boyfriends. The wait staff is bemused, especially after the first time Lup saunters over to Barry, plants a big kiss on his cheek, and says “See you at home, babe!" 

Taako, not to be outdone, flicks his braid over his shoulder and winks at Kravitz.

"Don’t forget my chocolate croissant, hot stuff,” he grins.


	10. Stuffies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins need help coping.

After being reunited post-S&S, Lup and Taako spend the better part of a week glued to each other’s sides. If they’re forced to be in separate rooms for any length of time, they leave their stones of farspeech on to remind themselves that they still exist. 

It makes for some awkward interactions: 

“Babe,” Barry says, “do you really want t-to make out right now? Taako’s… right there?" 

"It’s fine,” Lup says, grabbing his collar. “Now shut up and kiss me.” Taako makes grotesque faces the entire time that only Barry can see. 

Kravitz is particularly vexed. He has trouble being around Lup at first because, y'know, lich? But he’s also willing to do anything to be near Taako, so he suffers through awkward movie nights side-by-side with Lup on the couch, Taako sprawled out across both their laps. 

The day inevitably comes when they have to be apart. Lup has bounties to pursue, and Taako has a school to run. The first time this happens – Lup and Barry take a much-deserved vacation/honeymoon – Kravitz comes home to find Taako curled in the fetal position on the couch. 

“I can’t remember what she looks like,” he cries, his knuckles white where he clutches a pillow to his chest. “Was she even real? Where is she, Kravitz?”

Kravitz hugs him, kisses him on the forehead, and steps out of the room. He opens a portal to Lup and Barry’s place. 

He returns less than a minute later with one of Lup’s shirts. When he hands it to Taako, Taako buries his face in it and his body immediately relaxes. It’s not as good as having her close, but at least it’s proof that he didn’t make her up. 

Kravitz pulls Barry aside after a job not long after this, nearly scaring the man to death with his furrowed brow and his assertion that “we need to talk.” It turns out that Lup isn’t much better, and the two men start brainstorming how best to help the elves they love. 

It’s Angus who actually comes up with the idea to give the twins stuffed animals. Kravitz is skeptical – isn’t that awfully childish? – but Barry assures him they’ll love it. Angus helps them enchant the plushies to smell like the opposite sibling. It’s impressive magic. Taako gets a stuffed fire lizard the exact shade of red that Lup uses to dye her hair. Lup gets a massive mongoose with a wizard’s cloak. As Barry predicted, they adore them, and they each show their gratitude to their thoughtful boyfriends in their own special ways. 

Angus is not forgotten: a few days later, he wakes up to find a little silver dragon plushie on his bedside table that smells exactly like Taako’s lavender macarons. He takes it with him to school and, on stressful days, tucks it in his backpack so he can cuddle it between classes.


	11. The Raven in the Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus helps out a bird friend.

Magnus is home alone one day, lounging on a lawn chair in the summer sun when a huge raven comes careening down on the ground beside him. It’s a massive bird with odd, white feathers interspersed among the ebony ones, and it’s clearly been injured. 

It’s clearly agitated, favoring one of its wings, and Magnus cautiously goes down on his knees to take a look. 

“Hey there, bud. What happened to you?" 

The raven stills and cocks its head in Magnus’ direction and opens its beak as if to speak, emitting a pathetic squawk.

Magnus doesn’t know much about birds, but he can tell this one is in pain. He figures Taako will know what to do with it when he comes home: Taako loves ravens, feeds them out of his hand all the time. Kravitz could help, of course, but he’s been on a bounty for days. 

The raven attempts to fly off, but it only makes it about a foot off the ground before crashing to the dirt again. Its feathers are ruffled and Magnus can see a bit of blood on its belly, so he scoops it up and carries it inside much to the bird’s surprise. In the back of his mind, he knows he should be careful: that beak is razor sharp, and its talons are nothing to laugh at. But Magnus has never been able to watch an animal suffer while standing idly by, so he carries it into the kitchen and sets it down on the counter. 

The raven is unnaturally still, watching as Magnus bustles about the kitchen, digging through cupboards until he finds a first aid kid and a clean towel. 

"All right, friend,” Magnus says, bending down so he’s practically nose-to-beak with the creature. “I’m going to take a look at your wing. If you could, ah, not bite me, that would be great.” 

The bird seems to consider this and then, to Magnus’ delight, lifts its injured wing with an air of grudging respect. Magnus does his best to patch it up, cleaning the blood from its feathers and binding its broken wing so that it rests snug against its body. 

Taako arrives home to find Magnus sitting on the couch in the living room, raven on his lap, skritching its head as it leans into his touch, beady eyes closed in appreciation. 

“Um… what… the actual hell?”

Magnus grins. “I found this little fella injured on the lawn!” 

“Kravitz, you’re hurt??” Taako yelps and rushes over to the couch where he starts gently prodding the bird’s injured wing. 

“K-Kravitz?” Magnus stammers. “No, it’s… just one of his ravens… right?" 

Taako glares at the raven. "Smooth, bird brain. Can you shift or what?” 

The raven caws meekly and hops from Magnus’ lap to the carpet. There’s a flash of light and a swirl of feathers, and when Magnus blinks, Kravitz is standing in front of them with with his arm in a sling and a sheepish expression on his face. 

“Explain,” Taako says, arms folded on his chest. He sounds angry, but Magnus can see the worry in his eyes. 

“My bounty had a bit more fight in her than I’m used to. I took her down, but she got a good blow in first and…" 

"And you tried to fly home because…??” 

“I didn’t have the energy to summon a portal,” he admits. “It was easier to shift, and when I made it home, Magnus was here and he – Taako, he gives such excellent head skritches!" 

Kravitz turns to Magnus. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have put you in an awkward position.” 

Magnus finally lets out the laugh he’s been holding back. It comes out as a bark as he doubles over in a fit of giggles. When he finally pulls himself together, Taako’s looking at him like he’s lost his mind. 

“Kravitz,” Magnus chortles. “Buddy – next time, just ask!"


	12. Reassurance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For all his on-the-job bravado, Kravitz is not a particularly confident being.

For all his on-the-job bravado, Kravitz is not a particularly confident being. He hides it well – he doesn’t want to be that boyfriend, and he refuses to be a possessive asshole – but insecurity often wins out when he sees his boyfriend with other men. 

Taako’s boisterous, self-assured personality (which conceals a litany of his own insecurities, but that’s a story for another time) terrifies Kravitz. When they’re at a party, schmoozing potential investors for Taako’s school or attending a restaurant opening, he’s tense. For every cute half-orc businessman they meet, Kravitz becomes more and more convinced that Taako will leave him for someone more suitable, someone more deserving of such a brilliant, talented elf. Every smile Taako flashes feels like a knife to the heart. He hates himself for resenting the time Taako spends with potential “competition.” He doesn’t think Taako would ever cheat on him, but sometimes he thinks he would deserve it if he did. He despises his own brooding nature and anticipates with growing dread the day Taako will have had enough. 

A few months into their relationship, Taako finds him sulking by the drinks table at a party celebrating the rebuilding of Neverwinter after TDoSS. 

"Phew,“ he sighs, grabbing a flute of champagne. "I like to kibitz as much as the next guy, but those jokers are tireless!” 

“Seems like you were enjoying yourself just fine,” Kravitz grumbles. He immediately regrets his tone. 

Taako’s eyes narrow. 

“I would have been if my boyfriend wasn’t lurking in the shadows like the literal Grim Reaper. What’s up with you, Krav?" 

Kravitz’s face falls. 

"I’m sorry,” he says, and his tone is so broken that Taako’s anger evaporates immediately. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Taako says. He puts down his drink and takes Kravitz’s hand, lacing their fingers together in a way that’s so familiar that Kravitz can’t help but smile. 

“Let’s get out of here,” Taako says, and despite Kravitz’s insistence that he’s fine, that he doesn’t want to cut Taako’s night short, Taako links their arms and leads them straight out of the door. 

As soon as they’re home, Kravitz tries to apologize again, but he’s stopped mid-sentence by Taako’s mouth on his as his boyfriend presses him up against the wall of the foyer and buries his hands in his hair. 

Later, while they’re curled up in bed, a tangle of limbs in a nest of rumpled sheets, Taako peers into Kravitz’s eyes. 

“You said you love me,” Taako says, a half-articulated question mark hovering in the air between them. 

"Yes,“ Kravitz says, "of course. I do. So much." 

Even in the dark, he can see the blush spread across Taako’s cheeks. 

"And you know I… do… too? Right?” 

Kravitz closes his eyes. He knows it’s hard for Taako to talk about his feelings. He shouldn’t need this affirmation so badly. 

“Yes, Taako, I kn–" 

"I love you, Kravitz. I’ll say it as many times as it takes for you to believe me if you’ll… maybe… do the same?” 

There are tears in Taako’s eyes that he’s too proud to shed and steel in the set of his jaw as he braces for rejection. Kravitz pulls him close, holds him against his chest where he knows Taako will feel the beating of a heart that he set in motion after centuries of stagnation. 

“Always,” Kravitz whispers in his ear. 

From that day on, Kravitz doesn’t need to remind himself that he’s loved, that he’s been chosen: Taako does that for him, and Kravitz – he will never stop coming up with new ways to prove to his partner just how beloved he is.


	13. Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kravitz has always loved games of chance.

Kravitz has always loved games of chance. For a reaper in the employ of the Raven Queen, goddess of the natural order of things, it may seem like a strange obsession, but he’s always enjoyed the thrill of the draw, the adrenaline rush of good competition.

If he’s being honest with himself (and he rarely is), it probably also has something to do with the fact that he craves human interaction. As a reaper, he used to have so little of it. You find a bounty, you take them in. Most of his work is (or was) solitary by nature. So it’s no wonder that he’s willing to risk a bounty over a game of cards or the roll of a dice. There are so few things that make him feel alive, and if it means letting a few criminals go free every century or so – well, he’ll get them next time. But now he has Taako and the extended family he unwittingly inherits, and he doesn’t feel the same drive for the thrill of the game as he used to. He’d rather take his bounties quickly and get home to his husband. 

That doesn’t keep him from having fun with Lup and Barry, though. He’s still competitive, and he’ll always have a flair for the dramatic. His new partners tease him about his ridiculous accents and the monologues he insists on delivering to their quarry before dragging them off to the Stockade. But honestly, they’re just as bad. Lup “Phantasmal & Resplendant” Taaco finds every opportunity to set herself on fire and watch the looks of horror on the faces of the necromancers they hunt. Barry loves using his inconspicuous appearance to trick their prey into a false sense of security before attacking.

Kravitz is nervous the first time Taako proposes a game night. What if his competitive side is too much for Taako and he offends the love of his life? But come on, he isn’t going to purposefully lose a game of UNO! Who do you think he is? Sheesh. To his surprise & delight, the IPRE gang is just as competitive as he is, and they’ve had over a century to learn each other’s tells. Sometimes, Taako shares them with Kravitz.

“Babe, see how Magnus’ left pec is twitching?” he whispers. “That means he’s got a sweet hand.”

And BOY, do they cheat! Kravitz hates cheating, thinks it ruins a good game, but he changes his tune the first time he and Taako play strip poker. By the end of the game, he’s down to his tie and socks, and the greedy gleam in Taako’s eyes makes him grateful for the (obviously) loaded deck.


	14. A Prank Foiled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s no way that Lup is going to pass up on an opportunity to prank both Kravitz AND Taako in one fell swoop.

When Kravitz finally works up the nerve to propose to Taako, he goes first to Lup, not to ask for permission (first of all, that’s barbaric; second of all, he’s a little terrified of what Lup would say) but to request her help. He wants to make sure that he follows the proper traditions in asking Taako to be his husband. Taako and Lup aren’t from this plane, so he asks her to tell him what he should do. 

Now, the traditions really aren’t that different between that plane and this one, but there’s no way that Lup is going to pass up on an opportunity to prank both Kravitz AND Taako in one fell swoop. She sits him down and pats him on the shoulder and tells him to do EXACTLY as she says. Bless him, he pulls out a notepad and writes furiously. 

A few days later, Taako shows up at Lup’s place with an odd look on his face. She makes an extra strong pot of coffee and asks him what’s wrong. 

"I broke up with Kravitz,“ he says, staring into his mug. 

"Haha, YEEESSS, y— I’m sorry, you WHAT???” 

“It was so weird, Lulu. I mean, one day we’re fine, and the next he jumps out of the pantry while I’m making dinner and ties me up. And hey, I’m down for that kinky shit, but this was– he hit me with a fish??" 

Lup stares, horror-struck. 

"So I told him to pack up his stuff and get out. I don’t know what happened, Lup. I’m… I don’t think I’ll ever love again." 

Lup breaks down and confesses. Tears in her eyes, she grabs Taako’s hands and begs him to forgive her– which is when she notices the ring. 

Taako actually gets a stomachache from laughing so hard. 

"You really thought you could pull that shit? On ME?? But seriously, Lup, not cool: Krav was so nervous. He actually cried when I told him he looked like an idiot in that orange jumpsuit.” 

Lup, chastised (perhaps for the first time in her life), immediately goes to Kravitz to apologize, but he’s too busy smiling to pay her any mind. After all, he got what he wanted: Taako said “yes,” and he would fight anyone who claims to be happier than he is right now.


	15. Pain and Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kravitz is injured on the job.

The first time Kravitz is injured on the job – really injured, that is, not just a scratch he can brush off – after Story and Song is on a reaping job with Lup and Barry. They’ve been sent to take in a small necromantic cult, but their intel was faulty. There should have been only four necromancers. It’s a fledgling cult, a quick bounty. Lup and Barry handily subdued two each while Kravitz reads out the sentence, but then a fifth comes out of nowhere and buries the handle of a poison-tipped dagger in Kravitz’s back. 

As the last necromancer is taken down, Kravitz realizes the gravity of his wound. The world swims around him, and if Barry hadn’t rushed to his side to offer a shoulder to lean on, he would’ve collapsed on the spot. Lup rips open a portal, leaving the dazed necromancers in a heap, and they carry him through. 

“It’s nothing,” Kravitz insists, but the waver in his voice does nothing to assure a frantic Taako who’s waiting on the other side.

Kravitz is embarrassed: he should have seen it coming. It shouldn’t be so easy to take down Death. He slumps on the couch as a wave of nausea wracks his corporeal form. It should be simple to shuck off his body and allow himself to recover in the astral plane, but whatever was on that dagger has made him too weak. They’re lucky: Barry fetches Merle and a vial of antitoxin before Kravitz passes out. 

He comes to on the couch with a cold compress on his head and Taako’s hand in his. When Kravitz looks up to reassure his boyfriend, he’s startled by what he sees: Taako’s face is lined not with worry but with the sharp edges of fury. His eyes are narrow and burn like coals. 

That fire fades slightly when Kravitz says his name. “How do you feel,” Taako asks, his voice oddly flat. Kravitz assures him he feels much better as he pulls himself up into a sitting position. 

Taako’s jaw clenches. 

“I should be out there kicking their asses,” he snarls. 

Kravitz doesn’t need to ask who he means. 

“It’s an occupational hazard, my love,” he says, rubbing his thumb along Taako’s palm. “I’ll be fine in a day or two." 

"That’s not the point,” Taako growls, and he throws Kravitz’s hand aside as he jumps to his feet. 

“I should be fucking /murdering/ those punks for what they did to you,” he says, and as he speaks, the shimmer of magic catches Kravitz’s eye as Taako’s nails transmute into razor-sharp talons. “Instead, I’m here, useless as /shit/ while Lup and Barry finish off those–” 

The crackle of volatile magic sparks in the air between them, and Kravitz feels a frisson of– not fear, exactly, but the startling realization that Taako has within him the capacity for the kind of rage that could rip holes in the fabric of reality… all for him. 

Kravitz forces himself to his feet, wincing slightly. When Taako sees what he’s doing, he cries out and hurries to the couch, pressing gently on Kravitz’s chest until he sits down again. 

When he finally catches his breath, Kravitz looks up and says, “But you stayed.” 

“Well… yeah.” Taako seems to deflate, sinking back into the cushions at Kravitz’s side. “I couldn’t… I couldn’t leave you. It’s stupid – Merle said you would be fine and I should have gone with Lup and lit those bastards up, but…” 

Kravitz presses a hand to Taako’s face. 

“I’m glad you stayed. Lup and Barry are more than capable of taking care of the ones who got away. I’d rather have you here." 

Taako grumbles, but when Kravitz pulls him close, he sinks against Kravitz’s side with a sigh. 

Lup and Barry return a few hours later with manic grins on their faces made ghoulish by the blood splatter on Barry’s glasses and the ash streaking Lup’s cheeks. 

"Got a few extra blows in for you, bro,” Lup says, sheathing her scythe. 

“Good,” Taako replies, his fingers curling protectively around Kravitz’s arm.

Taako doesn’t leave Kravitz’s side all night, which Kravitz finds he doesn’t mind in the least.


	16. A Mother's Approval

When Kravitz confessed his love to Taako, he did so without fully considering what it would mean. It was the right thing to do in the moment, the only thing, and when Taako kissed him, he didn’t care if the world really was ending – Taako loved him back. 

Of course loving Taako would change him. Kravitz hasn’t loved anyone for a long, long time. He’s lived for his work for more centuries than he cares to remember, and having someone in his life whose existence means more to him than his own is surprisingly unsettling. When Taako’s not around, Kravitz worries. What if something happens to him? He knows Taako is a capable wizard, but he can’t help himself. When they’re together, it’s hard to focus on anything but his own incandescent happiness. He’s not sure if this is normal. 

Kravitz knows that it’s affecting his performance as a reaper. He always answers the call, but he doesn’t jump to the task like he used to. He’s not as reckless as he once was – he has someone else to think about now – so bounties take a little longer to bring in. 

He knows the Raven Queen has noticed his failings, and he owes her an explanation. When she summons him into her presence, he immediately falls to his knees. 

“Forgive me, my queen,” he says, eyes downcast. 

_FOR WHAT, MY CHILD._

“I have not served you as well as I should.” 

_THE LADY ISTUS TELLS ME YOU HAVE TAKEN A MATE._

Kravitz startles. “Y-yes,” he stammers, daring a glance at his queen. Her gaze is impenetrable. 

_AND NOW YOU WISH TO LEAVE MY SERVICE._

“Never!” Kravitz cries, leaping to his feet. “I am loyal to you. I will do better." 

_THEN YOU WISH TO BE PARTED FROM THIS ELF._

"No!” Kravitz winces as he realizes he’s yelling. “I… I can’t. Please, I– I love him." 

The Raven Queen’s head tilts a fraction as she considers her servant. Kravitz’s heart, still unused to beating, pounds in his chest. 

_WHAT, THEN, DO YOU WANT, MY CHILD._

Kravitz freezes. He didn’t expect this. Dismissal, perhaps. A reprimand, certainly. The answer is simple. He knows what he wants: Taako. But in this moment? Here? 

"Your blessing,” he says at last, “though I have no right to ask it.” 

_YOU HAVE ALWAYS HAD IT, MY SON._

When Kravitz looks up, the Raven Queen is standing over him, and when she rests her taloned hand on his shoulder, he feels a lightness fill his entire being. 

He returns home later to find a bemused Taako waiting for him. 

“Was this you?” Taako asks, gesturing to a huge bouquet of black calla lillies on the coffee table. “Ravens brought it by this afternoon. And hey, I appreciate a dramatic flair as much as the next guy, but hachi machi – it scared the crap out of me!" 

Kravitz beams. 

"They’re a gift from my queen. I thought she would dismiss me for being so distracted lately, but she gave us her blessing." 

"Oh. Dope!” Taako smiles and pokes Kravitz between the ribs. “Distracted, huh?”

Kravitz pulls him in for a kiss. “Allow me to return the favor."


	17. Bros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avi and Johann are bros.

Avi and Johann have been roommates ever since Avi joined the BoB, bright-eyed and ready to save the world. Johann has been jaded for a long time and Avi’s optimism quickly grated, but the Director refused to rehouse him because no one else will room with Johann. 

They couldn’t be more different: Avi loves a good time, works out for fun, and could keep up a running conversation with a brick wall if given the chance. Johann values his peace and quiet, plays for hours on end, and composes into the wee hours of the morning. Avi’s not a slob, exactly, but he’s definitely not great at remembering to do his laundry (and boy, do those workout clothes stink). He gets the midnight munchies almost every night, and Johann wakes up to crumbs on the counter and unwashed glasses in the sink. 

But there’s also nothing Avi wouldn’t do for his friends, and when Johann’s close to collapsing from exhaustion or struggling with depression to the point where he can’t get out bed, Avi’s always there. He is, in fact, the only one who can convince Johann to take a break. They take almost daily walks around the base late in the evening after almost everyone else has gone to bed. Avi tells Johann all the gossip of the day, and although Johann pretends he doesn’t care, he really does get lonely in the Void Fish’s chamber). When they get back to their rooms, Johann takes out his violin and plays Avi his latest composition. He knows he’ll just forget it tomorrow after he feeds it to the Void Fish, but Avi’s such an appreciative audience – even if he doesn’t know a damn thing about music. 

Avi gives Johann a journal for Candlenights. When Johann opens it, he finds pages of comments on each song that he’s played, effusive little notes about how cool the song was, how impressive that “sick beat sounded.” There’s one for every song he’s fed to the Void Fish. 

“I know it sucks that no one will ever hear your music,” Avi says, “but at least you’ll always know that somebody appreciated it." 

Inside front cover is the dedication "For the greatest musician basically ever.”

As soon as he unwraps it, Johann disappears into his room for the rest of the night without a word. Avi is perplexed and wonders whether he did something wrong.

The next morning, Avi finds a tiny music box on the end of his bed. When he turns the tiny crank, it plays a song he’s never heard before, and he knows it’s a Johann original.


	18. A Home for Angus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus finds a home.

After the Day of Story & Song, everyone is busy for weeks – cleaning up the rubble, rebuilding homes, burying the dead. Angus helps, working tirelessly to reunite loved ones separated by the Hunger’s attack until, finally, there’s no more work to be done. 

“Go home, Ango!” Magnus says to him one day, clapping him on the back just a tad too hard. “You deserve a rest." 

Angus assures him he will, and as soon as Magnus’ back is turned, he sneaks into the largely-abandoned BoB headquarters because he has nowhere else to go. There’s no family waiting for him: they abandoned him long ago, and he may be a clever boy, an old soul, but he’s still a kid and he’s alone and he doesn’t know where to turn. 

Lucretia finds him while doing rounds on the base, and she calls immediately calls Taako. He almost hangs up when he hears the voice on the other end, but she gets to the point quickly, and Taako has Kravitz help him hop a portal to Angus’ room immediately. They find him curled up in a blanket fort, books piled up around him, meager belongings in a hoard at his side. 

Taako takes one look at this and starts levitating items into a bag of holding. 

"What are you doing, sir?” Angus yelps, grabbing at a Caleb Cleveland novel as it zooms past his head. 

“Packing,” Taako says, “obvs. It’s time for you to go home." 

Angus’ eyes fill with tears. 

"I don’t have anywhere else to go, sir. Can’t I stay here? I’ll pay the Director rent, I swear, I’ll–" 

Taako cuts him off with a silencing charm. 

"For a smart kid,” he says, hands on his hips, “you’re not particularly bright. You’re living with us, Agnes. We’ve got a room already made up." 

And they do. While Kravitz and Taako have been fetching Angus, Lup, Barry, Magnus and Merle are hard at work converting the guest room into a cozy haven of squishy pillows and towering bookshelves. 

"You didn’t really think we’d forget about you, did ya?” Taako winks. 

From that day forward, Angus is everyone’s son, nephew, brother, friend. He enrolls in magic school, but every holiday is spent alternating between his friends’ houses (although Taako and Kravitz’s place will always be “home”). He has a bedroom at each one. 

Taako insists on continuing magic lessons even though Angus is properly in school now because “those idiots wouldn’t know Prestidigitation from Mage Hand if it literally slapped them in the ass.” Magnus teaches him how to carve ducks when he’s stressed. Barry quizzes him before tests. Lup sends weekly care packages. Kravitz teaches him to play poker (it’s basically math, and Angus is a dab hand) and keeps an eye on him from the astral plane when he’s away at school. Merle organizes play dates with Mavis and, when Angus turns 13, shares his favorite plant-based pick-up-lines. 

It’s not the sort of life Angus ever would have imagined for himself back on the Rockport Limited when he was a lonely boy detective searching for clues and a place to belong: it’s better. His family is huge and weird and dysfunctional and supportive and loving and real, and he is so, so happy.


	19. His Raven Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako has always loved birds.

Taako has always loved birds. They’re delicate and beautiful, but their appearance belies an inner strength that he admires. They’re resourceful and loyal, and he has always loved the idea of being able to fly – to new experiences and away from old ills. 

When he starts dating Kravitz, he’s delighted by the ravens that flock around his boyfriend. Ravens are some of the smartest birds: they love shiny trinkets, and they never forget a good turn done them, nor do they easily forgive the bad. 

Within days of moving into their first house, Taako sets up half a dozen feeders in the yard. He commissions Magnus to make special bird houses to appeal to his feathered friends. Kravitz helps, offering advice on what ravens look for in a roost, what they best like to eat. 

Sometimes, Kravitz remains in his bird form after a job and flies home to one of Taako’s perches. Taako loves the strange, massive corvid with its spattering of odd, white feathers whose caw sounds oddly familiar and who nestles in his hair with gentle, padding claws. 

Taako starts leaving little offerings for his new friend, glittery bits and bobs that he knows a raven would covet. Kravitz keeps them tucked away in the pockets of his reaper cloak where he’s sure Taako won’t look. But ravens aren’t the only ones who love shiny things… 

Maybe he spends too much time in his bird form; maybe serving the Raven Queen means you take on some of that creature’s characteristics. Whatever the case, Kravitz can’t resist wearing the tiny gold star pin on his lapel and braiding the colorful glass beads into his locs. 

Taako’s not dumb. He catches on pretty quickly, but he doesn’t let on that he knows Kravitz and the bird are one and the same. Instead, he starts leaving out little treats he knows Kravitz enjoys. He peppers the raven with kisses and gushes about what a handsome bird he is. 

“You’re a much better kisser than my boyfriend,” Taako whispers conspiratorially to the raven one day. 

Kravitz can’t take it any more: he shifts back into his body and demands that Taako take it back. Taako smirks, bops him on the nose, calls him “bird brain,” and snogs him senseless.


	20. Sweet Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup and Taako's musical origins story.

Lup learned to play the fiddle when she was in her teens (pretty damn young for elf-kind). There was a musician in the caravan that took them in after they were orphaned, and one day, she caught Lup picking out notes when she thought she wasn’t looking.

She caught on surprisingly fast, had a natural ear. The caravan leader was a greedy man, and he saw the profit potential in a young, pretty elfling. When they made camp on market days, he ordered her to play on street corners for money no matter how dangerous the town. Taako refused to let her go alone, but the caravan leader wasn’t about to let him sit idle when he could be working. Taako stood his ground and insisted that he could sing. They would make more money as a double act. The leader reared back to strike him on his cheek…

…but then Taako opened his mouth and sang. His voice was surprisingly light and melodious, his pitch perfect after he stopped shaking. The caravan leader swats him for good measure and sends them both on their way, telling them not to come back with less than 5 coppers. They return that night with 10 (minus the two they slip into their pocket before turning over their gains). They know it’s risky; they’ll be beaten if anyone finds out, but they won’t stay with this caravan forever and they need an emergency fund.

A few months later, the caravan leader makes advances on Taako in the shadows of their campfire after a night of drinking. The twins flee as soon as everyone is asleep, and although it’s not much, they’ve saved up a few silver and they survive until they find a new crew.

Lup doesn’t get many opportunities to practice her playing in the years that follow. Not every musician is willing to share their instrument and she certainly doesn’t have enough money to buy one of her own. She practices finger positions before bed each night. Taako, on the other hand, rarely sings. When Lup is sick or when they’ve had a particularly rough time of it, she can sometimes coax a tune out of him. He really does have a lovely voice, but after that first caravan leader and his groping hands, he won’t sing in public.

They join the IPRE years later, and it doesn’t seem like music will help them much – until they end up at the Legato Conservatory. Lup is overjoyed to have a violin in her hands again. She sneaks one back to the ‘Blaster one night and the crew is in awe.

Her happiness is infectious and Taako thinks he might be willing to resurrect their double-act. There’s no way the mountain could reject their double charms! But then he notices the way Barry looks at Lup when she plays, how rapt he is when they talk about music theory. He finds Barry in the conservatory practice rooms, plucking out sad love songs on a piano with tears in his eyes, and Taako sighs. 

“You and Lup could play a baller duet, my man,” he says. 

“Y-you think so? Would she… would she really want to?” Barry stammers.

It’s pathetic how hopeful he is, and Taako thinks maybe, just maybe, he might be good enough for his sister. He encourages him to ask, and later that night, Lup comes to their room glowing with excitement. She won’t agree to Barry’s proposition unless Taako says it’s OK.

“We were going to perform together, little bro. Are you sure?" 

Taako forces a smile, and it really is genuine (he wants her to be happy). 

"Ch'yeah, of course!" 

She hugs him and goes off to let Barry know. 

In the end, Taako settles on writing a book of pithy sayings. After all, humor has always been the mask he’s most comfortable hiding behind. Barry and Lup perform for the final concert, and they really are magnificent. Taako is so proud, but then they spend the rest of the night together, and Taako knows that things will be different from now on.

Decades later, Taako has a little too much wine over dinner with Kravitz and when his boyfriend starts playing a familiar tune on the piano in their living room, Taako starts singing along. Kravitz is stunned and enamored. He knew Taako was talented, but this– well.

Lup hears them one night, Kravitz playing the cello with smooth, sweeping bow strokes, Taako’s voice woven among the crescendos sweet and clear. She listens from the shadows, loathe to interrupt, and for the first time in such a very long time, she thinks they really are going to be okay.


	21. Coffee Snob

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kravitz is a self-professed coffee snob.

Kravitz is a self-professed coffee snob. 

While Taako has a literal cabinet full of his ridiculous tea blends (more than anyone could drink in a lifetime), Kravitz has one jar of disgustingly-expensive coffee that he drinks religiously every morning. He cuts a rift all the way to the other end of Faerun to get it once a month and Taako teases him mercilessly. 

One day, Taako replaces the grounds with the cheapest swill he can find. He watches as Kravitz makes his morning cup. He sips. 

Kravitz doesn’t notice a difference.


	22. Self-Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spa nights are important.

Once she has her body back, Lup’s skincare routine becomes… intense. She and Taako have always been meticulous about their appearances, but ten years as a lich stuck in the umbrastaff has made her possessive. It isn’t vanity, not really (although damn, she looks good). But deep down, she knows how temporal her flesh is, and she refuses to take her body for granted again. 

She becomes a master of exfoliation, adept at brewing face masks and aromatic sugar scrubs imbued with magic. Friday nights become Spa Nights. Kravitz makes himself scarce (“Death doesn’t do facials, love”) and when he returns hours later, his favorite elves are literally glowing. It becomes a tradition complete with mimosas, macarons, and manicures, and it doesn’t take long before they start sending out official invitations.

Magnus attends every week without fail. He loves having his nails done, and Taako gives amazing hand massages. Barry helps the twins develop a special scale cream when Carey joins the group, and everyone fusses over Mavis when Merle brings her for a visit.


	23. Bed-Sharing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleep is complicated in the Taako-Kravitz-Magnus household.

Sleep is complicated in the Taako-Kravitz-Magnus household. 

First, there’s Taako: he likes to pretend he doesn’t need sleep (“I’m an elf, dammit”), but when he crashes, he crashes hard. On bad days, he gets night terrors and his screams wake the whole neighborhood. As he struggles towards consciousness, his brain betrays him: Lup is gone, Kravitz drowned in the astral plane’s tar black sea, the Hunger is bearing down. He clings to Kravitz when he’s home (and he tries always to be home at night now), and when he isn’t, Magnus rushes in.

They’ve all learned the tricks: keep a stone of farspeech close with Lup on speed-dial, put a picture of the family on the bedside stand. It helps, and some nights, Taako doesn’t wake up at all. Kravitz loves to watch him sleep on those nights, snoring lightly, safe in his arms. It’s lovely.

And then there’s Magnus. He’s never slept well, even before the Stolen Century, and his ADHD makes it hard for his brain to shut down at night. When it does, he has bizarre, vivid nightmares that send him scrambling for his axe, shaking and sweat-drenched. 

When that happens, he goes to find Taako. If he’s in bed, Magnus slips under the covers with him as quietly as he can (which isn’t quietly at all) and listens to the sound of his breathing. If he’s awake, he joins him in whatever he’s doing. Taako always makes room.

Angus helps Taako devise some strategies to help Magnus sleep better. He’s the first to suggest a weighted blanket (his own is a life-saver) and black-out curtains. On nights when his brain just won’t shut off, a back-rub from Taako can usually do the trick.

And who could forget Lup? She and Barry have their own house now, but the two residences are connected via magical portal because there’s no way the twins are going to be more than a door away from each other if they can help it. And if she’s a little touch-starved after a decade in the umbrastaff, who can blame her? Some nights, she literally shakes from the need to be reassured that Taako is real. She slips through the portal and into Taako and Kravitz’s room, wraps her arms around her brother, and settles in. If Kravitz is there, he makes room for her. One night when she is particularly anxious and Taako is in the middle of a rare, deep sleep, Kravitz reaches across the bed to her and she shuffles over to curl up in his arms, never letting go of Taako’s hand.

Angus is home for a school holiday and wakes to footsteps in the hall. When he follows the sound, he finds the master bed packed: Magnus spooned around Taako who is face-to-face with Lup; Barry on her right, arm flung over her hip; and Kravitz looking on, smiling fondly.

“I think there’s room on the end,” Kravitz whispers to Angus in the doorway. 

He summons his scythe and tiptoes out to answer the Raven Queen’s call as Angus burrows under the covers next to Magnus. 

“We must get a bigger bed,” he thinks as he steps into the astral plane.


	24. Sweet Music, Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus loves music. Always has.

Magnus loves music. Always has. He learned to play the lute when he was a boy because he thought it was the closest thing to magic he would ever get. Turning random sounds into something beautiful and stirring? Hell, yeah! He rushed right in. But it’s not easy being a young boy in a rural village with a “girly” talent. He was teased mercilessly, and he tried not to let it bother him, but it’s hard to commit to something that only gets you laughed at. 

He turned to fighting instead, trained hard, became strong. Strength saves lives; music doesn’t. Magnus consoles himself that he made the right choice, that he would have been a shitty bard, anyway. Still, he’s jealous of Barry and Lup’s performance at the Conservatory & he can’t hear string music without tearing up just a little. 

Kravitz comes home one afternoon to find Magnus in his music room. He’s cradling a lyre in his lap, ear to the strings, and he’s tuning the pegs oh-so-delicately with his massive hands. Kravitz clears his throat to announce his presence, and Magnus nearly jumps out of his skin. 

“I’m so sorry,” he stammers. “I didn’t mean to butt in on your personal space, I just– it’s been so long since I– that is…" 

Kravitz smiles. He knows well the siren song that music has on the heart, and he’s surprised and delighted to find a fellow audiophile in Magnus. 

Kravitz is polite, doesn’t pry, just compliments Magnus on his good taste. It doesn’t take much to get Magnus to reveal how much he’s missed music, and Kravitz is quick to offer the use of his music room as often as he likes. Magnus blushes, worries he’s too out of practice. Kravitz, ever the conductor, offers to tutor him, and Magnus is elated. They have lessons almost every afternoon, whenever Kravitz is free, while Taako’s at school and they have the house to themselves. Magnus struggles at first, but he catches on quickly. Kravitz is insanely proud. 

They reveal the fruits of their labor on Candlenights. Everyone’s cozy on the couch after supper, full and happy and only a little tipsy from the spiced wine. Kravitz announces a special musical performance, and Lup and Barry take their places at the piano… 

When Magnus joins them, Taako finds himself unconsciously on the edge of his seat. What the hell? Magnus doesn’t play an instrument! But there he is, picking up a lyre, balancing it on his hip with practiced ease, and when the song begins, it’s breathtaking. As the piece unfolds, Taako is mesmerized: the sight of his boyfriend’s hands weaving notes in the air with his baton, his best friend rapt as his fingers fly over the delicate strings, is too much. 

When the song ends, he’s on his feet, whistling like mad. It’s magic.


	25. Angus' Dads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title says it all.

The first time anyone realizes that Taako, Magnus, and Kravitz are an official item and not just super-loving-platonic-roommate-bros-together is the morning after Candlenights. Everyone stays over after a baller party, all more than a little hungover. 

Merle bumbles into the kitchen to the tell-tale aromas of Taako’s cooking. It takes him a moment to realize what’s off: underneath his apron, Taako is wearing an over-sized shirt that’s very clearly Magnus’. He doesn’t appear to have pants on underneath. And like, OK, it’s awkward, but whatever: Merle knows that Taako is worse than a magpie when it comes to stealing clothes. But then Kravitz pads into the kitchen in a pair of pajama pants that Merle KNOWS belongs to Magnus because he saw him go to bed in them last night. 

He’s still putting it together when Magnus clomps in wearing a too-short bathrobe that probably belongs to Taako and a feather sticking out of his ruffled hair. He looks at Taako and Krav, blinks, and says, “So THAT’s where my clothes went! You guys are the worst.” 

Angus wanders in, bright-eyed and chipper, and Magnus ruffles his hair with a loud “Mornin’ Ango!" 

Taako flips a pancake. "Wash your hands, Agnes.”

Kravitz shakes his head, smiling, and wishes him a “Good morning, Angus." 

The boy beams, looks at Merle, and says, "Aren’t my dads great?”


	26. Book Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucretia only brought enough books for a year of travel.

Lucretia only brought enough books for a year of travel. To be fair, “enough” was 50, and she would have brought more, but the loading crew took one look at the stack of boxes she wanted packed and visibly blanched. It was hard choosing favorites. When it becomes clear that the cycles are going to go on indefinitely, she tries her best to pace herself. It’s painful to read only a few pages a day, but even at this creeping rate, she’s read each one through thrice by the time the second cycle ends. She is devastated. 

Her friends pull together to help. Davenport casually suggests they start a book club, and although Lup and Taako whine and Merle grumbles at the idea of wasting time on novels, they all get on board. For a while, Lucretia revels in introducing the crew to her favorites. 

The Twins read all of the Gothic romances and absolutely rip apart the plotlines at their meetings. “And then, THEN this DUMBASS decides to stay with the asshole baron and they have, like, 50 snot-nosed brats and she’s, like, OK with that? The FUCK??” 

Barry goes nuts over the science fiction. There are titles in Lucretia’s collection that he’s never read, and he forgets to be shy when it’s his turn to deliver a review. He talks for an hour, cheeks flushed and hands flailing, and Lup is absolutely smitten. 

Magnus finds his niche in the adventure tales. He falls in love with fantasy “Robinson Crusoe” and “Treasure Island.” He is the first (and last) one of the group to introduce costumes to his book club presentations. 

Lucretia still misses having new books to read, a real library at her fingertips, but there’s something magical about experiencing her volumes through the eyes of her friends. She doesn’t even mind when Merle ruins fantasy “Moby Dick” with “that’s what she said” jokes.


	27. Languages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kravitz is a polyglot.

Kravitz is a polyglot. He prides himself on being able to take in each bounty in the language of his victim. He’s a clever man, and he’s had a lot of time to study the dialects of Faerun. This also makes for some amusing pet names. 

When he and Taako start dating, Kravitz can’t get enough of finding cute ways to refer to his boyfriend in every vernacular with which he is familiar. “I love you in every language,” he says when they’re tangled up in bed together, and Taako very nearly melts in his arms. 

It becomes such a normal thing between them that the first time Taako calls Kravitz “darling” in Mongoose, he doesn’t immediately realize what he’s done. Kravitz is in the middle of kissing the length of his shoulder blade when he freezes, draws back, and quirks a brow. Taako’s eyes go huge and he turns a violent shade of red. He knows he must have sounded insane, but Kravitz is fascinated. 

“What language was that,” he demands. “Where did you learn it?” 

Taako explains, blush slowly fading, and Kravitz listens, rapt. 

“By the Queen, you are clever,” he breathes.

From that day on, Kravitz gets a particular pleasure out of watching Taako splutter whenever he calls him his “Goose.” Taako gets his revenge by speaking Mongoose during intimate moments: Kravitz, it turns out, is very turned on by pillow talk he can’t quite understand.


	28. The Surrogate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everybody needs somebody, right?

When Barry and Lup finally confess their feelings for each other after their performance at the Legato Conservatory, Taako is relieved. It’s about damn time! He’s also incredibly happy for both of them: they deserve this, and he loves Lup. He gets it… but that doesn’t stop him from resenting the amount of time they spend together, the nights that Lup sleeps in Barry’s cabin. He’s used to it being just the two of them against the world: even with their found family, their bond is special, and he worries it’s slipping away. 

Taako puts on a good face, and the other crew members are impressed. Petulant, self-concerned Taako is being particularly magnanimous! It’s Magnus who sees the pain he’s really in, the depression Taako tries to hide behind his jokes and his jibes. 

Magnus finds Taako alone on a hill above the Conservatory one night. He isn’t crying, but he’s clearly not OK, and Magnus takes a risk: he sits down next to him, puts an arm around his shoulder, and waits. Taako stiffens at first, but after a few seconds, he leans in and sighs. 

Magnus doesn’t mind being a surrogate for Lup. He likes spending time with Taako, and he flatters himself that he’s not bad company. When Lup is off with Barry, Magnus joins Taako in the kitchen; they go for walks in the evening, and sometimes they hold hands. It’s nice. 

But then Magnus notices that, even when Lup is around, Taako still makes time for him. There’s a movie night on the ‘Blaster, and instead of plopping down next to his twin, Taako settles in at Magnus’ side. He’s even invited to help them in the kitchen. 

The first time Taako crawls into Magnus’ bed is a surprise. He mutters something about not wanting Magnus to be lonely, and Magnus assumes Lup is spending the night with Barry, so he makes room under the covers. There’s space between them, but it’s cozy. They both sleep well. 

The next time it happens, Magnus wakes up in the middle of the night and finds Taako inches away, swaddled in stolen blankets. Magnus turns on his side & drapes an arm over the elf’s sleeping form, and Taako turns, nestling his body against Magnus’ chest. It feels right. 

They share their first kiss like this, curled up in each other’s arms after an awful day of searching for the Light. They almost lost Merle, the future looks bleak, and they’re both physically & emotionally exhausted. Taako is ranting about futility, and Magnus just leans in. 

It’s a little bit awkward: they bump noses, and it takes a while to figure out the geometry of each other’s mouths. When they draw apart for breath, they’re both flushed & giggling & not the least bit self-conscious. It doesn’t go farther than that, but it’s just enough.


	29. Intrusive Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Davenport has OCD.

Davenport has OCD. He’s pretty good at managing it, but his intrusive thoughts always become more difficult to manage when he’s under stress – and once the Hunger descends, stress is pretty much his life. 

He’s an intelligent, highly logical person. He knows about seratonin levels and he knows when his thoughts don’t make sense, but that doesn’t stop the compulsions. His brain tells him that if he doesn’t do the nighttime checks just right, he’s putting his crew in danger. 

If he doesn’t keep his files in precisely the right order, Magnus will die on their next mission. If he doesn’t eat his vegetables one at a time, Lup will contract a disease that Merle won’t be able to heal. Forgetting to check the ship vitals at least twice before bed? The Starblaster will crash on their next landing and they won’t reset ever again. 

Davenport knows these things are ridiculous – but then bad things do start happening to his crew. Of course they do; their lives are infinitely more dangerous now. But it becomes harder for Davenport to deny his intrusive thoughts when Magnus really does die on their next mission. Lup actually falls prey to a native disease, and although Merle heals her eventually, it’s a close call. Davenport’s panic attacks become more frequent. 

Lucretia finds him in the middle of a bad one. She talks him through it, puts him to bed, and then calls a crew meeting. Their captain is struggling: they have to help him. Everyone agrees. 

Barry starts doing research on OCD. Lup and Taako prepare meals rich in tryptophan. Magnus encourages Davenport to talk to him when his intrusive thoughts get bad. Magnus never judges him, never tells him he’s crazy for thinking that a pen out of place will result in disaster. Merle prepares calming potions for really bad days. 

It’s such a relief, and Davenport finds that managing his symptoms is possible. There is acceptance and support on the Starblaster the likes of which he has never known, and he’s a better captain because of it. More confident, more sure of himself. A real leader.


	30. Friend Fiction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucretia secretly writes erotic friend fiction about the other members of the IPRE crew.

Much like Tina from “Bob’s Burgers,” Lucretia secretly writes erotic friend fiction about the other members of the IPRE crew. Everyone just assumes she’s really diligent about her job as journal keeper, but she has a stash of identical books for her hobby. 

Lucretia is asexual and never pairs herself with anyone, but that doesn’t stop her from imagining who among her friends deserves a torrid love affair. She’s always on the look-out for proof that her pairings might have a basis in fact, and occasionally, she gets them. 

Life isn’t easy on the Starblaster, but it’s made so much better when she finds Merle and Davenport passed out on the common room couch one night, their fingertips inches apart. For the next two weeks, all she writes is Merleport, and she can’t look at them without giggling. She has a whole journal devoted to Taagnus. She started those stories as a joke, something to give herself a laugh in dark times, but then she starts to notice the real-life lingering glances, the long walks after sundown & she nearly cries herself to sleep with happiness. 

The Twins are sharp. Taako and Lup learn to tell when Lucretia is doing official IPRE writing and when she’s working on something else. They speculate about what it could be until one night, Taako sneaks into Lucretia’s room and grabs the first journal he can find. He skims through its contents when he’s safe in the hallway, and he has to stuff his fist in his mouth to keep from cackling. He returns to his and Lup’s room in hysterics, tears running down his face as he shoves the journal into her lap, wordlessly gasping for air. 

It’s a relatively tame story of two lovers concealing their feelings for each other, dancing around one another as they pine for the relationship both think could never be. Those “lovers” are Barry and Lup, and Taako is absolutely beside himself at the very idea. 

Lup makes a good show of laughing uproariously – the very idea! – but when Taako goes to the bathroom for a cool washcloth and a glass of water, her ears droop and her cheeks turn pink as she holds the journal to her chest and breathes in the possibility…


	31. Consent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako and Lup do NOT like to be touched... or DO they?

Taako and Lup do NOT like to be touched. At least, that’s what everyone assumes when they first join the IPRE crew. Davenport attempts to shake the hands of his two newest team members, and they both look at him like he’s offering up a spoiled ham. During physical training, Magnus attempts to pull Taako out of the way of a trap; as soon as they’re out of danger, Taako rounds on him and slaps his hand away, hissing that “he’s perfectly fine, thank you very much. No need to be a hero.” Magnus is scarred for days. 

It gets better with time; as the date of their departure looms closer, the twins are less confrontational. They’re funny, really, and ridiculously talented, and as long as you don’t brush against them in the hall or tap them on the shoulder to get their attention, it’s all good. 

Lucretia notices things, and she finds it interesting that it isn’t really *touch* that they seem to object to. They’re always touching each other: holding hands between assignments, ruffling each other’s hair, curling up on the common room couch together during down-time. The twins don’t talk about their past, but she deduces it can’t have been easy growing up orphans, living caravan to caravan with strangers whose intentions are rarely pure, their favors never free. She understands: she doesn’t like to be touched, either. She respects their space. 

After the Hunger descends the first time, Taako and Lup become even more closed off. They’re frightened – they’re all frightened – and their defenses are up even more than usual. Magnus is a hugger, and it kills him not to be able comfort his new friends when they’re hurting. 

It’s Barry who unwittingly comes up with a solution. He’s unerringly polite, and it’s probably unconscious. He’s working with Lup in the lab one day when he notices a piece of specimen on her sleeve. 

“May I get that for you?” he asks, because her hands are full. She pauses… 

“Yeah, thanks." 

When his fingers brush her hand, she doesn’t even flinch. 

The crew begins to experiment. They ask permission before doing anything that requires conscious physical contact and the results are surprisingly good. Magnus even gets to hug Taako without being punched, and he’s elated. 

It becomes quickly apparent that the twins don’t hate to be touched – they actually love it. They’d never admit it, of course, but when Lucretia offers to braid Lup’s hair one night, she swears she hears Lup purr as her fingers dance across the elf’s scalp.


	32. Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus has pretty severe ADHD.

Magnus has pretty severe ADHD. When there’s work to be done, gerblins to kill, relics to find, he does OK, but there’s so much down-time on the ‘Blaster & he worries that his restlessness, his fidgeting, his tendency to talk non-stop annoys his crew mates. 

As a result, he spends a lot of time trying to mask his symptoms. He devises increasingly-intense workout routines to keep his body moving & to dissuade anyone from asking to join him; when his mood drops, he goes on long walks and takes his anger out on trees and rocks. He comes back to the 'Blaster with a lot of bruises and split knuckles, but most of the crew shrug it off. It’s just Magnus; that guys goes hard! Plus, he puts on such a good front when he’s hanging out with his friends. Taako, however, is not fooled.

When Taako starts inviting Magnus into the kitchen while he cooks, Magnus assumes it’s because he has a reputation for eating anything and for being free with compliments. Taako indulges this.

“You’d be doing me a huge favor, my man,” he assures him. “You have impeccable taste.”

Taako sits him down, gives him small jobs to keep his hands busy, lets him talk as much as he wants. Before he lets him touch the ingredients, he insists on cleaning and bandaging Magnus’ recent cuts. 

"Can’t bleed all over the goods, homie!” he chides as he wraps gauze around a gash on Magnus’ arm. Who knew Taako could be so gentle? 

And it helps. It really helps. Magnus is less anxious, less restless, and he and Taako grow closer. Lup often joins them, and she’s an excellent sounding board for some of Magnus’ more ridiculous ideas. They never make jokes at the expense of his disorder. 

Then they lose their memories. When Taako starts (cautiously) cooking again, always fighting the panic born of Glamour Springs, he automatically invites Magnus to join him in the kitchen. He doesn’t understand the compulsion, but it feels right. It feels safe. Magnus is bemused, but he agrees every time, and he can’t shake the weird feeling of deja vu when Taako hands him a bowl of batter to stir or swats him on the hand if he starts beating the eggs too much.


	33. A Moonlight Dip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry's request for swimming lessons was far from random.

Not long after Barry’s swimming lessons with Taako during The Stolen Century, he wakes up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep. He wanders out of the Starblaster and walks along the beach, and who should he see bobbing out past the breakers but Lup. 

Lup loves to swim. He’s noticed that she seems to spend more time in the water than out, and although it’s not the ONLY reason he wanted Taako to teach him how to swim, it’s… pretty much the most important one. This is his chance, and he knows he can’t go back inside now. It takes 5 minutes of hyperventilating before he steels his resolve, strips down to his swim trunks & leaves his glasses on the beach. He swims out, hesitant at first, confidence building as he realizes he isn’t drowning. He’s breathless but proud when he gets to her side. 

She’s surprised to see him. He can’t see her face very well (everything’s blurry without glasses), but she seems to be pleased, just – oddly amused? They talk for a while, bobbing in the warm water, and Barry tries not to stare because she is truly luminous in the moonlight. 

They swim back to shore together, and Barry can’t remember the last time he’s felt so calm, so happy, so at peace. He puts his glasses back on and goes to thank her for a lovely evening when he realizes: she’s completely naked. She wishes him a good night & he’s left gaping. 

Barry skips breakfast in mortification. When he finally emerges, word has obviously spread among the crew: Taako makes a big show of slapping Barry for making untoward advances on his sister, and Magnus bemoans the fact that no one told him skinny-dipping was an option. 

Barry vows never to swim again – a promise he very quickly breaks when Lup shows up at his door the next night wearing a bedazzled two-piece swimsuit, throws a towel in his face, and declares, “Come on, nerd: the sea awaits!” It is the start of a beautiful tradition.


	34. Dark/Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry is afraid of the dark.

It’s basically canon that Barry is afraid of the dark. Ironic for a necromancer, but there you are. And it’s not a big deal because he has an arcane nightlight that he keeps in his room on the Starblaster and no one needs to know. 

But then he’s out with Lup and Taako, befriending the locals in the Animal Kingdom, and they get caught up in a bad storm. There’s an empty cave that they shelter in, and when there’s no sign of the storm letting up, they hunker down for the night. They light a fire for protection at the mouth of the cave, but when they lay down to sleep, Barry can’t get over how deep and dark the cave is. It seems to go on forever, dipping into the bowels of the earth. ANYTHING could be down there! He starts to panic, just a little. 

He’s used to hiding his panic attacks. He takes deep breaths, clenches and unclenches his fists, telling himself everything’s fine – he’s being stupid and he’s not even alone! He’s in the middle of whispering his mantra (“Don’t be a baby, Bluejeans”) when Lup tiptoes over. 

“Pretty creepy in here, huh?” she says. 

He sits up fast and hopes she didn’t hear him talking to himself. “Y-yeah, I mean… whatever,” he replies. 

“Would you mind if I…?” and she conjures a small ball of pale purple light that hovers over their heads, glowing faintly. 

Barry stammers. Of course he doesn’t mind. She smiles. In the corner, Taako snores and they spend the next half hour talking about their experiments, the difficulties of learning to speak mongoose, how much rain sucks. Barry falls asleep with his glasses on and he forgets to be scared.


	35. The Vee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Polyamory, am I right??

Kravitz is absolutely down with the idea of Taako being with Magnus. He’s seen a lot of life (and death), and the concept of polyamory is hardly new. This is Kravitz “everyone-is-going-to-love-you” Bonedaddy, and above all, he wants Taako to be happy. Of course, Taako can’t fathom this. He’s only been with jealous lovers. If Kravitz finds out Taako has feelings for Magnus, Kravitz will leave him, no question, and Taako — he loves Kravitz, fully & desperately. But that doesn’t change how he feels for Magnus, not at all. 

Taako finally tells Kravitz that he’s in love with Magnus on Candlenights after a huge IPRE-family holiday party. They’re cozied up on the couch after everyone’s gone and it just comes out. Kravitz pauses, looks Taako in the eye, and says, “I know, love.” 

It can’t be that easy. Taako babbles, tries to assure Kravitz that he loves him too, begs him to stay. Finally, Kravitz gathers him up in his arms, kisses him firmly, and tells him he knows how much love Taako has to give. He’s not going anywhere.

Magnus takes a little longer to convince. How could Taako really reciprocate the feelings that Magnus has been harboring for so long? And why on earth would he choose him when he has Kravitz? He’s out of his depth, but then Taako kisses him, and… wow. Maybe it is real. 

No one’s really surprised, of course, especially not Lup. Their vee is embraced by everyone, no questions asked, because there is no doubt that these men cherish each other, and by the gods, don’t they deserve happiness?


	36. Pretty Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako and Lup have always liked pretty things

Taako and Lup have always liked pretty things, and even though they grew up poor, being beautiful has always been a priority. It was an asset on the road; attractive beggars get more coins. No money to spend on clothes/jewelry means they had to improvise. Taako is always on be lookout for lovely feathers to weave into his hair. Lup becomes adept at weaving bracelets out of colorful bits of parchment. The first time a caravan takes them to a beach, they almost lose their minds making necklaces out shells. 

Even after they are gainfully employed by the IPRE, they never lose their penchant for random pretty/shiny “junk.” As they travel between planes, their collection grows, but they rarely wear their finds. Animal teeth from the Animal Kingdom, coral from the Beach World… They’re self-conscious about it, but the others can’t help noticing how excited Taako gets over a particularly shiny pebble or how Lup will drop everything to pick up a star-shaped leaf and tuck it into her pocket. It’s cute, really. 

Barry is the first to offer an addition to their collection. He quietly leaves a perfectly-preserved butterfly wing by her plate at dinner one night, and he almost cries when her eyes light up at the peculiar veins of blue that create an almost heart-shaped motif. Magnus notices sometimes after he’s been practicing his carving, the miniatures that he throws away disappear. The first time he goes into Taako & Lup’s room for a sleepover, he sees the figurines lined up on a shelf with a hodge-podge of miscellany. He is beyond touched.

By the time they hit cycle 56, their room is like a museum of their travels & the whole crew starts coming up with excuses to visit and reminisce, especially after a particularly hard day. The twins grouse about “personal space,” but they love being docents/curators.


	37. Sick

Not long after opening his magic school, Taako contracts a nasty virus from one of his students. 

“That’s what you get for working with kids,” Lup laughs as he collapses on the couch by her side at the end of the day. He groans dramatically. 

The next morning, however, he isn’t any better. He has a pounding headache and he can’t stand up without getting dizzy, and Lup – well, Lup panics. 

Merle is called in immediately. He grumbles about the inconvenience and how “he’s an Earl now, dammit,” until he sees the look of desperation on Lup’s face. The thing is, there’s only so much a healing spell can do for a virus. He’ll get better, Merle assures her, but it’s going to take a few days. He prescribes a sleeping potion to speed the convalescence, but Taako flat out refuses. 

“Your funeral,” Merle quips. Lup blanches. 

She stays by Taako’s side for the next 24 hours, alternately cajoling and threatening him to stay hydrated and all but shoveling hot bone broth down his throat. Kravitz, Barry, and Magnus all offer to relieve her so she can go home and rest, but she refuses. 

“He’s _my_ brother,” she hisses, and her eyes flash with a fire just as dangerous as any she’s cast in the heat of battle.

“’S nice,” Taako murmurs drowsily. “Haven’t had… anyone take care of me… for a while…” He drifts off to sleep before he can see the tears in his sister’s eyes. 

“Ten years,” she whispers to Barry later, her voice ragged as he dabs at her cheeks with a clean handkerchief. He doesn’t need any further explanation.

She checks his temperature on the hour by pressing a light kiss to his forehead. Taako doesn’t complain, barely stirs, and this worries her more than the alternative. 

"I won’t lose you,“ she mutters under her breath as she fixes his pillow. "I can’t. Not again. _Not again_.” 

Kravitz slips into the room in the early hours of the morning to find Lup curled around an unconscious Taako, her free hand stroking his damp hair. Her eyes are closed, but there’s a rumbling sound coming from somewhere deep in her chest that he vaguely recognizes. Taako makes a similar noise when he’s pleased, especially when Kravitz surprises him with a kiss or massages his ears. This sound is different, though, but perhaps only to a musician’s ears: it’s about half an octave higher, the frequency pitched just above what he’s used to. 

Lup opens her eyes and catches him staring. 

“It’s an elf thing,” she explains just a touch defensively. “It just happens when we’re really happy or super anxious. It’s… supposed to help with healing." 

Kravitz nods appreciatively. "It’s very clever. Do you mind if I stay?” 

Lup eyes the raven sigil that he wears on his tie for just a moment too long, but she acquiesces and reluctantly makes room on the bed. Kravitz eases under the covers on Taako’s other side and grins as the sleeping elf reaches out and grabs his arm, pressing the cool flesh to his cheek. 

They stay this way for hours, Lup and Kravitz listening to the sound of Taako’s breathing and taking turns changing the cold compress on his forehead. Despite the crowded bed, Taako seems to rest easier sandwiched between the two people who love him most in the world.


	38. A Very Good Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus gets a puppy and we get some Taagnus.

Magnus gets his first puppy and he is over the moon (pun intended). He names it Caleb in honor of Angus, and he takes it on the rounds to meet all of his friends. When he calls up Taako on his stone of farspeech, however, his hopes are immediately squashed.

"That's a big ol' nope, m'dude," Taako says. Magnus can practically hear the cocked hip and raised eyebrows in the tone of his voice. "Dogs are messy and loud and way too hype for this elf."

"I'm messy, loud and hype," Magnus whines playfully, "but you love me, right?" 

There's a long silence on the other end before Taako clears his throat and says, "Fine. If you can get your mutt trained -- and not just that 'sit, stay' shit -- I'll let you bring him over. But not a second before!"

Magnus promises and immediately gets to work.

It's a few weeks before Caleb Pupland is ready. He can heel and shake and fetch and respond to thirty separate voice commands. Magnus has never been prouder of another living thing, and he plans to meet Taako at the local dog park on a sunny afternoon a few days later. Taako arrives with a parasol and his trademark, skeptical frown. Caleb doesn't jump, doesn't even bark, and it doesn't take long before the elf is condescending to give him ear skritches. Caleb gives him a grateful lick -- just one -- on the elbow, and Taako actually laughs.

Meanwhile, Magnus watches with an increasingly-disconcerting feeling of jealousy. But no, that's not right: it's not like he wants Taako to pat him on the head and call him a "good boy." That would be crazy! But really, when's the last time Taako looked at HIM like that?

Magnus bends down to show Taako Cal's "good spot" right beneath his shaggy chin and their fingers brush. They both jerk back instinctively, and Caleb sniffs the air between them curiously. He peers at the two men with his liquid brown eyes... and then he takes off running, the two men sprinting after him. He leads them on a wild trek through the gardens until he stops mid-stride in the center of a quiet pavilion surrounded by rose bushes. Taako and Magnus stumble into the clearing side-by-side, breathless and flushed.

"I thought you said he was trained," Taako pants.

"He is," Magnus cries defensively. "At least, he _was_!"

Taako straightens his hat. 

"That's quite enough excitement for one day," he says. "See you on the flip-side, Mango."

Magnus tries to hide his frown of disappointment, but it is not lost on Caleb. 

Suddenly, Caleb is running circles around the men, his trailing leash weaving a convoluted knot around their ankles. Taako shouts as he loses his footing and he and Magnus tumble onto the grass, Taako sprawled on Magnus' chest, the human blinking up at him, dazed.

"I'm beginning to think your dog has ulterior motives," Taako says at last, his face a few inches from Magnus'. "You sure you didn't plan this?"

"No," Magnus says, his voice shaky, "but I kind of wish I had."

Taako's eyes sparkle as he ducks down for a kiss. 

In the shade of the rose bushes, Caleb watches with a wolfish grin and considers that he is, after all, a very good boy.


	39. Domesticity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Building a home after Story and Song.

Taako and Kravitz get their first place together not long after Story and Song. Of course they do, because why wait? The almost-apocalypse was enough to prove to Kravitz that he wants— no, needs— Taako in his life, and Taako... well, he’s adjusting to the idea of having someone so fully a part of his life who isn’t Lup or his ‘Blaster family.

Problem is, neither of them have much experience with the mechanics of a permanent living space. Taako’s been on the road for such a very long time, and Kravitz has simply existed in the astral plane between assignments for centuries. What is a “home” to a dispossessed elf and a semi-corporeal reaper?

They decide to find out together.

In between rebuilding Neverwinter and shepherding souls back to the astral plane, Taako and Kravitz cruise antique sales looking for furniture. Kravitz worries his tastes may be a bit outdated, but Taako’s not much better: he’s a consummate magpie, and his idea of comfort is something akin to a glorified nest decorated with expensive accent pieces and souvenirs from their respective travels.

They purchase an old mansion near the center of town that’s large enough for them to take up residence on the top two floors with room to spare for Angus to have his own bedroom and library. Barry and Lup lay claim to the ground floor and the basement-cum-laboratory, and together, the four of them turn the aging house into a haven as they work to establish a new normal.

Keeping up a house isn’t easy, and it takes a while for them to find a system that works, but as time goes by, they fall into a pattern: the kitchen is Taako and Lup’s domain, naturally, and Kravitz is happy to help clean up after meals. Kravitz has a strange affinity for laundry— something about the rote of hanging and folding is comforting and allows his mind to wander— and Barry proves integral to keeping the entire place clean. Lup is good at yard work; she claims that Merle taught her a thing or two, and she’s alarmingly adept at threatening the shrubs into shapeliness.

Magnus buys the house next door and moves in with all his dogs, and on the weekends, he fires up the grill and makes steaks that lure even Davenport off his ship for a meal every once in a while. Merle visits with Mavis and Mookie at least once a month, and eventually, even Lucretia finds a warm welcome after Taako has had time to accept that what she did was a desperate act of love worthy of forgiveness.

It’s crowded and loud, and occasionally messy, and their lives are a breathing Gordian knot of new bonds and old,  
but it’s home, and it’s perfect.


	40. Cuddling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kravitz doesn’t know how to cuddle.

Kravitz does not know how to cuddle.

Or rather, he thinks he did... once... but it’s been so very long, and despite his Grand Romantic Gesture on the Day of Story and Song, he finds himself very much out of his element when it comes to Taako levels of physicality.

The thing is, he’s always been a very fast learner. It’s been literal centuries since he made out with anyone, but there’s something beautifully natural and deliciously primal about kissing. Cuddling, though...

He’s determined to figure it out.

Kravitz watches the easy way Taako and Lup curl into each other after a long day. The chaotic energy that usually hums around their auras stills and a gentle buzzing that could almost be mistaken for purring takes its place. It’s comfortable and safe.

Kravitz wants it.

Even Magnus knows how to cuddle. Kravitz supposed he shouldn’t be surprised, but Magnus is larger than life in almost every way, and it’s astonishing that he can be strong and lethal one moment and so achingly gentle the next. The way Taako lets him play with his hair...

He decides to give it a try one night when they’re alone. Taako is lounging on one half of the couch, a spell book in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, and Kravitz starts inching closer with his own book, resting just a bit of his weight against Taako at a time.

He senses Taako’s surprise in the way his ears twitch as Kravitz eases into the curve of his side, and he is filled with cold shame that he hasn’t tried this sooner. 

“Is this okay,” he mumbles, hiding his face in Taako’s hair. If he could blush, he would be scarlet.

“Yeah, babe,” Taako replies, twisting around and tugging gently on one of Kravitz’s locs until the reaper looks him in the eye. “‘Course. Just didn’t think you were down for all that snuggly shit.”

“I want to be,” Kravitz says. “I’m just... out of practice.”

“I think you’ll find I am an excellent teacher,” Taako grins, and before he can protest, Kravitz is being pulled down onto the elf’s chest with gentle but insistent hands. With one ear pressed against Taako’s ribcage, Kravitz can feel the steady pulse of his heartbeat.

They stay that way for hours, Taako’s fingers curled in Kravitz’s hair, their legs tangled comfortably beneath a light blanket. He’s so lost to the myriad of new sensations that Kravitz almost misses the soul-deep tug of the Raven Queen’s call.

Taako’s moue of discontent as Kravitz extricates himself from their nest almost breaks him.

“It’s all right,” Taako winks when he sees Kravitz waver. “Just hurry back. I’ll be right here.”

“It’s a date,” Kravitz says, a dopey smile on his face as he jumps his portal.


	41. a wizard's hat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The origin of Taako's wizard hat.

Taako and Lup may have decided to become wizards by necessity when they were young and homeless and needed a way to survive, but that doesn’t make them any less proud of the path they’ve chosen, and they can’t wait to prove themselves as magic users.

They’ve been studying for a few years and they’re getting pretty good, but every time they attempt to join adventuring parties, they’re scoffed at and turned away because they’re too young, too dirty, too poor, too weak. Taako decides that if he just had the perfect hat, he would have to be taken seriously.

“You have to look the part, Lup,” Taako insists moodily one night around their guttering fire, poking the embers with a stick until multi-colored sparks of unintentional magic threaten to catch his cloak on fire.

Lup lies awake for hours, unable to sleep. She remembers how empowered she felt the first time she wore a dress in public, and she wants Taako to have that. She knows it’s not the same, but you know what? She gets it.

In each town they pass, Taako gazes longingly (but silently) at the fancy hats in the shop windows. They work where they can, but times are tight, and it’s a rough month. To make matters worse, Lup seems to be more exhausted each morning than she was when they went to bed.

One night, after a long day of washing dishes at a roadside tavern for two measly pieces of silver, Lup hands Taako a package. It’s a birthday present, she says.

Taako frowns, bemused. “We have the same birthday, doofus,” he argues, “and it was, like, 2 months ago.”

Lup rolls her eyes and stares at her brother until he opens the package, grumbling the entire time. When the contents are revealed, however, all he can do is gape.

There in his lap is a real wizard’s hat, tall and pointy and covered in embroidered stars. It glitters in the firelight, and when he looks closer, he sees tiny, mismatched beads, small shards of sanded glass and shiny bird feathers in a rainbow of colors stitched into the heavy, blue wool.

It’s not perfect: the stitches aren’t uniform and at least three separate fabric remnants with their own patterns and hues have gone into its making. But when he looks at his sister, notices anew the dark circles under her eyes and the fresh calluses on her fingertips, he feels his heart swell. 

Taako wears his hat with pride until the day they join the IPRE, and when their supervisor tries to explain that it doesn’t match the mandatory uniform, Taako stubbornly insists that if the hat goes, he goes. He wears it through 100 years aboard the Starblaster and he’s wearing it the day he loses his memories.

As he wanders Faerun, alone at first and then later with Sazed and “Sizzle It Up,” the hat is his constant companion. Every now and then someone comments about the patches, and Taako just shrugs them off. His hat isn’t exactly “on brand” but he can’t bear to part with it. He isn’t sure why – can’t even remember where he got it, oddly enough. But it’s a part of him, an extra limb, a comforting presence when he’s at his lowest.

On nights when he’s feeling particularly lonely, Taako runs his fingers over an odd glyph stitched just beneath the brim in ruby red thread. It must be in a foreign tongue because he can’t read it, but it fills his heart with love and hope. It’s the same word that burns itself on the wall of the Bureau of Balance when Angus uses the umbrastaff, and it’s the first word out of his mouth when he breaks the staff over his knee on the Day of Story and Song.

_LUP._


	42. Braids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Magnus becomes a coiffure connoisseur.

One day on the Starblaster, Magnus is sitting in the common area whittling some little trinket in a rare moment of free time. It's quiet -- too quiet -- and when he looks up, Taako and Lup are standing in the doorway watching him with queer little smiles. 

"H-hey, you two,” Magnus says cautiously. “What's... what's up?" 

"You're good with your hands," Lup states. 

"Um..." Magnus' right eye twitches. "Yes?" 

Before he knows what's happening, they've pounced on him and dragged him back to their nest of a bedroom. They plop him down on one of the twin beds and seat themselves on the opposite bunk, staring him down with identical expressions of unnerving intensity. 

"How are you at hair braiding," Taako asks abruptly. 

"Um... not great," Magnus admits, "but I'd love to learn!" 

Lup grins. This is, it seems, precisely what they wanted to hear. "Excellent." 

Over the next few weeks, Magnus becomes a connoisseur of the coiffure. The twins brag about "exploiting him for free labor," but Magnus loves the challenge and he's actually quite good. 

Magnus is never entirely certain why they singled him out that day. He flatters himself that they enjoy his company and wanted to include him in something special. And if Taako seems to almost prefer Magnus' crown braid to Lup's, well... 

Fast-forward to the Moon Base [many] years later. Taako joins Magnus and Merle in their living quarters after an hour long shower smelling of lavender and rosemary, hair loose around his shoulders, grumbling to himself. 

"It's such a mess," he huffs. "Maybe I should just cut it off." 

"No!!" Magnus yelps without thinking. He isn't sure why, but it would just be wrong for Taako to have short hair. He hasn't known the elf long [false], but he knows that much. 

"C'mere," he says, and Taako gives him a quizzical look but obeys anyway. 

Brushing Taako's hair feels so familiar, and before he realizes what he's doing, he has four strands separated between his fingers and he's shaping the blonde curls into a spectacular fishtail braid. 

"I'm impressed," Taako says later, admiring the work in the mirror. "Where'd you learn to do that?" 

Magnus pauses, furrowing his brow. He... can't remember, and that's odd, because Magnus has a good memory for details.

"I guess Julia must have taught me," he says at last, but in his heart, he knows that isn't right. Julia kept her hair cropped short, but if not her, then... 

"Don't hurt yourself," Taako says with the tiniest hint of concern as Magnus rubs his suddenly aching forehead. "But maybe you could do it again sometime?" 

The prospect makes Magnus incredibly happy.


	43. A Love Reclaimed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories flood back on the Day of Story and Song.

With the return of their memories, Taako is immediately hit with the sudden and irrevocable reality that he forgot his sister. Ten years without her comes crashing in on him in an instant, and it nearly knocks him prone. 

He breaks the Umbrastaff and watches her spectral form rise from the wreckage, phantasmal, resplendant, and gloriously familiar. He's barely had a moment to rejoice in this long-overdue reclamation when another realization hits him: 

_MAGNUS_. How could he forget _Magnus?_

Because of course he hasn't only known Magnus for the last 3 years, and the fact that someone who held his heart for so many years could ever have become an "acquaintance" is enough to rip open the still-raw wound of the Void Fish's theft-- of _Lucretia's_ theft. 

Magnus, who was everything to Taako. 

Magnus, who aside from his sister was the most important being in the planar systems to him.

Magnus, whose body he knows almost as well as his own.

Magnus, who has expressed his love for Taako in thousands of ways in nearly a hundred worlds. 

There isn't time to process this. The Hunger is literally on their doorstep, and the fight is once again down to their speed and ingenuity. But as they race to their stations and prepare for what will, one way or another, be the final battle, Taako can't help but wonder, and as they run to the Starblaster, his mind works in overtime. Maybe it's better if they do die here today. Then Magnus won't have to know that the elf he loved is gone. Taako is a different person now: the shadow of Glamour Springs is never far away. Taako never claimed to be perfect, but he can't imagine anyone loving the man he is now. 

And Julia. Magnus loved Julia -- he's told Taako and Merle so many times. How can Taako possibly compete with the memory of a wife lost to war? He can't. He shouldn't... 

As he, Merle, and Magnus take their places on the Starblaster, the eldritch horror that was once a man named John manifesting on the deck before them, Taako spins on his heels and grabs Magnus by the arm. 

"So are we gonna, like, talk about US before we die or... whatever?" 

Magnus blushes, casting a look over his shoulder at Merle who's anxiously flipping through his X-Treme Teen Bible. 

"Is this really the time?" he says, nodding pointedly at the black pool of Hunger taking shape before them. 

Taako flinches, releasing Magnus' arm. 

In that moment, time seems to freeze: Taako is so unsure, so nervous, and Magnus won't let him go into this final fight with that horrible look of lonely desperation on his face. He reaches out and grabs Taako by both shoulders and pulls him into his embrace.Taako barely has time to register how wonderfully familiar the press of their chests is as they breathe together before Magnus' mouth is on his and they're kissing and nothing else matters because this is how it was meant to be and it has been 

so 

very 

long.


End file.
